London counterterrorism police arrest 6 people suspected of links to a banned Kurdish party

LONDON (AP) — British counterterrorism officers arrested six people Wednesday as part of an investigation into activity linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party known as the PKK, police said.

Four men and two women arrested in London were detained under the Terrorism Act of 2000, the Metropolitan Police said.

The PKK, a separatist movement seeking an independent Kurdish state in southeast Turkey, is on the list of suspected extremist organizations banned by the U.K.

“These are targeted arrests of those we suspect of being involved in terrorist activity linked to the group,” Acting Cmdr. Helen Flanagan said.

Police said they didn’t believe there was a threat to the public.

Police were searching the Kurdish Community Center in the Haringey area of north London and seven other locations across the city.

Ishak Milani, of the Kurdish People’s Assembly in the U.K., said the arrests were an attack on Kurds and an affront to democracy, justice and human rights.

“We, the Kurdish community in London, strongly condemn the recent unjust and heavy-handed raid conducted by British police on our community spaces,” Milani said. “We demand accountability for this raid and a clear explanation for the actions taken.”